title: Non-MHC-restricted cell-mediated lysis of human oligodendrocytes in vitro: relation with CD56 expression.
abstract: Oligodendrocytes and their myelin membranes are the apparent target of the autoimmune response that characterizes the human adult central nervous system-demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis. Human oligodendrocytes do not express MHC class II molecules, a requirement for MHC-restricted injury mediated by myelin-reactive CD4+ T cells, the cell type implicated in initiating the disease process. In this study we observed that human adult central nervous system-derived oligodendrocytes can be susceptible to non-MHC-restricted lysis mediated by myelin basic protein-reactive CD4+ T cell lines. Cytotoxicity was significantly greater (37 +/- 4 vs 7 +/- 3%) with cell lines in which a high proportion of cells (mean, 28 +/- 6%) expressed CD56 compared with cytotoxicity mediated by low CD56 cell lines (8 +/- 2%). High CD56 cell lines, when rested in IL-2, lost cytotoxic activity and had reduced expression of CD56 (mean, 5 +/- 2%). CD4+ T cells isolated from short term (3-day) anti-CD3/IL-2-activated mononuclear cell cultures did not express CD56 and were not cytotoxic to oligodendrocytes unless lectin was added. In contrast, an enriched population of non-T cells extracted from the same activated MNC cultures expressed CD56 as well as other NK cell-associated surface molecules and was cytotoxic. These results indicate the potential susceptibility of human oligodendrocytes to non-MHC-restricted injury mediated by both Ag-reactive and nonspecific cellular immune effector cells, with CD56 expression being a common feature of the effector cells.
authors.affiliation: Montreal Neurologic Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Quebec, Canada. mdan@musica.mcgill.ca
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Antel
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McCrea
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ladiwala
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Becher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000276:immunology; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000276:immunology; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D013702:Temporal Lobe
chemical_list: D019002:CD56 Antigen; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein